The 2020 campaign continues on for No. 18 Wisconsin, which still sits at 2-1 after the divisional loss to Northwestern two weekends ago and having its annual clash with Minnesota canceled.
Now, head coach Paul Chryst and his program will now welcome Indiana (5-1) to Camp Randall Stadium in what is the team's most daunting challenge to date this year on Saturday (2:30 p.m. CT, ABC).
Before we hear from Chryst later on Monday morning, BadgerBlitz.com brings back our 3-2-1 feature to examine what we learned from the weekend that was in the Big Ten, two questions leading up to UW-IU, and one prediction for Saturday's game.
THREE THINGS WE LEARNED FROM THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND
1. Wisconsin's secondary will need to look to its depth again against Indiana with Rachad Wildgoose declaring for the NFL Draft.
The junior corner made his decision known on Friday morning, and Wisconsin will move forward without a key member of its defensive backfield. His versatility in the slot and on the outside was another way Jim Leonhard's defense could lock down opposing offenses.
It should be worth noting, however, that UW has dealt with Wildgoose's absence earlier this season. He was unavailable against Michigan, and he left the Northwestern game with what the program called a right arm injury.
The depth at the corner position will help the Badgers here, as prior to Wildgoose's decision, there were six players who had starting experience in that room alone. Among those include Donte Burton and Semar Melvin.
When asked about Melvin specifically last week, Caesar Williams noted the redshirt freshman "learns a lot, and he forgets a lot." For that latter part, take it as a compliment. The older corner went on to describe the first series against the Gophers last season where Rashod Bateman scored on the then-first-year corner on a 51-yard touchdown.
However, Melvin "keeps playing," according to the upperclassmen.
"He makes plays by just forgetting what happened early on," Williams said via Zoom. "As a DB, you got to have a short memory, and for him to go out at Northwestern and step up in a big way, and his awareness on the field is just good. You could tell that he wants to be that next guy. He wants to be good.
"Having Semar out there as young as he is, I have trust in him, the whole unit has trust in him, and it's exciting for me to see a guy like that at such a young, early age fill some big shoes."
With a new quarterback for the Hoosiers on Saturday (more on that later), Badgers defensive backs will be tested by three players who have caught more than 20 passes this season (Ty Fryfogle, Whop Philyor and Peyton Hendershot).
